Longitudinally and transversely adjustable conveyer



A. D. BRENT Sept. 2, 1952 LONGITUDINALLY AND TRANSVERSELY ADJUSTABLE CONVEYER Filed Oct. 28, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. B REN 1' S Y E N R 0 T T av A BY I A. D. BRENT Sept. 2, 1952 LONGITUDINALLY AND TRANSVERSELY ADJUSTABLE CONVEYER Filed Oct. 28, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ALLEN D. BRENT ATTORNEYS.

VIII

A. D. BRENT Sept. 2, 1952 LONGITUDINALLY AND TRANSVER SELY ADJUSTABLE CONVEYER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 28, 1949 INVENTOR. Bar-m1- ALLEN D.

ATTORNEYS.

p 9 A. D. BRENT 2,609,076

LONGITUDINALLY AND TRANSVERSELY ADJUSTABLE CONVEYER Filed Oct. 28, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

ALLEN D. BRENT BY 1 I}: v I

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 2, 1952 LONGITUDINALLY AND TRAN SVER-SELY ADJUSTABLE CONTEYER.

Allen D. Brent, Savannah, Ga., assignor to Southern Fertilizer & Chemical Company, Savannah, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Application October 28, 1949, Serial No. 124,135

4 Claims.

This invention relates to longitudinally and transversely adjustable conveyors of the box car loading type.

A common but unsatisfactory way to load shipments, such as boxes, bales, bags, or other containers in cars for shipment is by means of powered or gravity conveyors that permit loading of only one end of the car at a time. Such conveyors are also cumbersome and are time consuming when they must be moved from one car to another.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a conveyor that permits loading of both ends of a car at the same time, is readily portable, and can be quickly moved from one car to another.

Another important object is to provide a readily telescoping conveyor which permits consecutive loading of two or more cars on parallel tracks and with the cars side doorways in substantial alignment.

Still another important object is to provide a readily longitudinally and laterally adjustable conveyor.

Furthermore an important object is to provide a conveyor which lends great flexibility in carloading, by permitting loading of different shipments in each end of the car at the same time.

Not only, by the use of this conveyor, is there a substantial saving in loading time over conventional loading practices, but there is also a substantial saving in labor.

Loading is accomplished, by the use of this new conveyor, with a minimum of manual handling and jarring of the items loaded.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this disclosure, and in which drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan of the central portion of the new longitudinally and transversely adjustable conveyor with one lateral extended and shown in full, another lateral shown telescoped, and longitudinally-extending portions of the conveyor also shown, including a forwardlyfacing outermost retractable and extensible section.

Fig. 2 is a transverse elevation of the showing in Fig. 1 with the section mentioned being in vertical section.

Fig. 3 is a forward end elevation of the outermost retractable and extensible section of Figures 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sec- 2 tion substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing a pivotal support means for a roller.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the head section (from which the laterals extend) of the new conveyor, with a retractable and extensible section associated therewith (at the left).

Fig. 6 is an elevation containing partially retracted lateral sections of the conveyor, and a fragment of the head section of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary vertical section of retracted lateral sections, latched together, substantially on the line 1-1 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section substantially on the line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary section of two lateral sections latched together.

Fig. 10 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section of a roller of Figs. 4 or 7.

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic top plan view of the new conveyor in use, associated with a shuttle conveyor, and extending into three cars, loading taking place in the third car.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinally extending view of the same.

Fig. 13 is a view somewhat like that of Fig. 11 but showing loading taking place in the intermediate or second car.

Fig. 14 is a longitudinally-extending view of the showing in Fig. 13.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a shuttle conveyor is designated as A, a support as B, tracks as C, rolling stock as D, movable bridging means as E, and the new longitudinally and transversely adjustable conveyor as F.

The shuttle conveyor A may be of any approved kind, just so there is provided a delivery mouth section such as, for example, the section 20 of Figures 11 to 14 inclusive, having a discharge way defined by an edge portion 2|. In practice, shuttle conveyors generally have a plurality of spaced-apart delivery mouth sections leading from a main conveyor section 22.

In the example illustrated, the shuttle conveyor A is shown to extend longitudinally of and to one side of a support B, as a platform, with the section or sections 2|] extending transversely out over the support B to short of it wait? I Paralleling the support B may be one or more roadbeds, such as those supporting tracks C for rolling stock D, which latter may be box cars. In

3 the example shown, there are three box car bodies 25, each having a pair of opposite side doorways 26, intermediate the end portions 21 of the bodies and provided with sills 28, with the doorways opening into the compartments 23 of the bodies.

In Figs. 11 to,14 inclusive, all the doorways 26 align and suitable movable bridging means E as gangboards are provided. One is shown extending from the support B to the nearest adjacent sill 28, and others extend from on sill to the next adjacent sill. These gangboards are, in practice, generally of strong but relatively thin metal so that, in conventional trucking shipments into and out of cars there will be a rhinimum of jarring of the shipments as they are trucked to or from platform and cars or from car to car.

The new longitudinally and transversely adjustable conveyor F comprises an innermost or shuttle conveyor associated section 35, a plurality of longitudinally-extending main sections, such as the sections 36 to 40 inclusive, a head section 4|, two laterals, each made up of two sets of a plurality of transversely-extending sections such as the sections 42 to 45, an outermost retractable and extensible section 46 terminating the conveyor and opposite the section 35, and hereinafter described as the car doorway section loader, and a removable nose or terminal section 41 for each lateral.

Preferably, each section 35 to 46 is provided with like friction-reducing means 48, such as suitable casters, to facilitate movin the sections 35 to 46 about over the support B, gangboards E and the iloors of the rolling stock D, and the sections 35 to 41 may be provided with movable conveyor means 49, such as rollers to be subsequently described in detail.

Referring again to th innermost or shuttle conveyor associated section 35 of Figs. 11 to 14 inclusive, the same preferably comprises four uprights or corner posts 50, with their lower ends carrying friction-reducing means 48 and the uprights 56 supporting a truss which, in turn, supports a chute assembly 52 which may comprise a chute portion 53 with the inner end thereof adapted to contact the edge portion 2| of the section 26, and a chute portion 54 with an outer end thereof adapted to contact the inner end portion of the main section 36. The chute portion 53 may have a smooth-surfaced upper face to its bottom while the chute portion 54 may be provided with means 49. Of course, the uprights 56 are suitably braced and connected, such as by cross members 55 and 56.

Each of the longitudinally-extending main sections 36 to 46 inclusive preferably has a pair of rear uprights or corner posts 60 and a pair of front uprights or corner posts 6| somewhat shorter than the uprights 66, and these supports, at their upper ends, carry suitable inclined chute portions 62, each provided with conveyor means 49, while the lower ends of the uprights 65 and 6| carry means 48. When assembled, such as in Fig. 12, the five sections 36 to 46 present, in their chute portions 62, a continuous chute, extending longitudinally of the conveyor F. The uprights 60 and 6| may be suitably braced and connected, as by the cross members 63 and 64. The several sections 36 to 46 may be detachably secured together by suitable means 65. This may be a pair of pivoted hooks carried at the outer ends of each section and eyed members for the hooks, carried at the inner ends of each section. I have dis covered that a suitable length of each inclined chute portion 62 is five feet except for the chute portion for the innermost section 36 which is, preferably, substantially eleven inches longer than the others; each section 35 to 4|] has side rails 66 pivotally supporting the means 49.

The head section 4| to which the sections 36 to 46 (Or any of them) are detachably connected is best shown in Fig. 3, but also illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and positioned in Fig. 5, so that these sections 36 to 40 (or any of them) would extend, in use, toward the right. Referring to Fig. 1, this section 4| includes a central, substantially horizontal portion 10, having side rails pivotally supporting means 49 preferably comprising rollers with their axes of rotation substantially paralleling the axes of rotation of rollers of the means 49 of the sections 33 to 46. The section 4| also includes a pair of wing portions 12 disposed substantially 180 apart, extending downwardly from the side rails II and having preferably inclined side rails 13 rotatably supporting means 49, which may be rollers with their axes of rotation normal to the axes of rotation of the rollers of the portion I0. The two wing ortions 72 are operatively connected with the innermost section 42 as will be subsequently described. In addition, the section 4| includes a win portion i4, having side rails 15 with their longitudinal axes substantially normal to the axes of the side rails 13 and extending in the same direction as the side rails II. This wing portion 14 extends upwardly from the inner end of the portion 10 and is adapted to be connected with the outermost longitudinally-extending main section, as by the means 65 heretofore described. The section 4| also preferably includes a fourth wing portion l6 having'side rails 11 carrying means 49 which may be rollers with their axes of rotation paralleling those of the portions 10 and 74. This portion 16 extends downwardly from the outer end of the portion 10 and is adapted for connection with the section 46, as will be subsequently described.

Supporting the portions 16, i2, 14 and I6 is a suitable support'means forming a part of the head section 4| which support means also aids in supporting the sections 42 and the section 46. This means may comprise a suitable number of spaced apart uprights 18, l8 and 79. The uprights I8 and H3 support the portions 16 and 14 and aid, with the uprights 15, to support the portions 12. In practice, I may employ two uprights I8 disposed at the rear of the section exclusive of the portion 16, two uprights 78* (each of which comprises two stepped sections 18 and 18 joined by a horizontal plate 18 all welded together, so that, a ledge is formed by a portion of the plate 78 as in Fig. 4) for a purpose later detailed, and two uprights 19 at adjacent the free ends of the portions 12. Suitable cross members 80 and BI. connect the uprights 18 and they are also connected by suitable parallel, horizontal rails 82 which extend longitudinally of the section 4| spaced above the cross members 86. These rails may be angle irons resting upon F and Welded to the ledges formed by the plates 13 and also welded to the uprights 18. The rails 82 slidably support the car doorway section loader or section 46 to be described and as shown in Fig. 4.

The free or outer end of the wing portion 16 of the head section 4| is preferably disposed just above the outer ends of the rails 82 and supported as by brackets 83 welded'or otherwise secured to the rails 11 and 82, while these ends of the rails 82 may be braced by braces 84 which may be welded to the rails 82 and the adjacent uprights I8 In addition, the head section 4I includes upper and lower cross members 85 and 8B for the uprights I9 of the wing portions I2 as well as upper and lower connection members 81 and 88 welded or otherwise secured to the uprights I8 and I9. The connection members 81 may be tubular but it is preferred to provide angle irons for the mem bers 88 so that they may function as rails (as in Fig. '7 where one is shown). In fact, the members (or rails) 88 have secured (as by welding) to and spaced below them paralleling angle irons 89 providing, with the members 88, guide and holding means 90. Each of the arrangements of members 88 and depending members (angle irons) 89 disclosed, provides a space 9|, the purpose of which and of the means 89 will be subsequently described.

Supported by the members 88 are the outer end portions of the downwardly inclined side rails 13 of the pair of wing portions I2.

Referring next to the transversely-extending sections 42 to 45 (there being two sets of these sections), forming the laterals of the new conveyor F, the sections 42, 43 and 44 are substantially alike in construction but differ in height and width as is clear in Fig. 2 for example. Each section 42 to 45 is provided with a pair of spacedapart uprights 95 at their outer ends, preferably equipped with friction-reducing means 48, and the uprights 95 are progressively shorter for the sections 42 to 45, and support the outer ends of outwardly inclined side rails 95 which are preferably angle irons arranged, for example, as in Fig. 7. Each pair of rails for one section (as the section 43) is shorter, as for its horizontal portion, than is the next inner (or higher) section (as the section 42) and each rail of the sections 42, 43 and 44 is provided with a depending angle iron auxiliary rail 91 (being welded at its upper vertical portion to the horizontal portion of the next adjacent rail 98 intermediate the ends of the latter) so that, when a pair of rails 96 is slidably disposed upon an adjacent higher pair of rails 91, the rails may telescope and permit telescoping of the several sections 42, 43 and 44. It will be noted, in Fig. 7, that the rails 96 of the section 45 has no depending auxiliary rail (since none is required). Each pair of rails 96 rotatably supports suitable movable conveyor means 49, as the rollers mentioned. Braces 98 may be provided to brace the rails 98 or 91, as the case may be, being secured thereto and to the associated uprights 95. Means 98 to detachably connect the several sections 42 to 45 is shown in Fig. 9 and may comprise suitable depending lugs 99 secured to the inner end portions of therails 98 and the walls of suitable openings or perforations I88 in the outer end portions of adjacent rails 96. Means 98 may also be employed to detachably connect the sections 42 to the wing portions I2.

In Fig. 2 at the extreme left, it will be seen how upon uncoupling the means 98 (by lifting up the lower section with respect to the next higher section so that the lugs 99 will clear the openings I88) and rolling the sections 42 to 45 rearwardly, the laterals may be retracted so that their sections 42 to 45 will extend below the wing portions I2 with only the extreme outer end portions of the sections 42 to 45 projecting outwardly of the vertical planes of the portions I2. Of course, it is now clear that, for example, without retracting the sections 42 to 44, the section 45 may be retracted to extend below the section 44, or the sections 45 and 44 retracted to extend below the section 43. Likewise, the sections 43, 44 and 45 may be retracted to extend below the section 42.

When both laterals are fully retracted (as is the left-hand laterals in Fig. 2), the head section 45 carrying the sections 42 to 45 will clear the conventional doorway of a box car, for example, and is readily moved about. In Fig. 2, it will be noted thatthe anti-friction means 48 of the sections 42 to 45 have fully cleared the support surface so there will be no casters upon this surface with their axeseof rotation angularly disposed with reference to the axes of rotation of the casters of means 48 of the head section 4| to impede travel of the head section over the support surface. In order to retain the sections 42 to 45 from accidently extending, I prefer to provide latch means I M which comprises a hook I 82 carried by each of three adjacent rails or connection members 88 and suitable eyed members I83 for the hooks I82 carried by the adjacent angle irons 89 as in Fig. '7. In addition, means I 84 may be provided to limit the extent one section may be withdrawn from the next adjacent section and may comprise upstanding abutments carried at the inner end portions of the rails 88 and abutments depending from the members (angle irons) 89.

In Figure 5, the outermost retractable and extensible section 46 is shown in full lines as retracted and in dots-and-dashes as extended. It is provided with a pair of uprights I85 supporting (as in Fig. 4) side rails I88, which may be angle irons slidably disposed upon the rails 82. Means similar to the means 98 may be provided to detachably secure the section 48 to the section 4| but, in this case while the rails I86 may each carry a lug 99, there may be series of openings I88 along the rails 82 for adjustably positioning the section 48 with respect to the section 4I but the section, 48, because it is readily retracted, need not be bodily removed from the section 4|. The rails I86 may support means 49.

Each of the two terminal sections 41 (one for each lateral) is preferably like that shown in Figs. 1 and 2 for example, and includes a pair of uprights I I8 supporting the outer end portions of side rails III, which may be angle irons, rotatable carrying means 49 and with the inner end portions of the rails II slidably disposed upon the outer end portions of the rails of the sec tions 45 and detachably secured thereto as by the means 98 heretofore described, whereby the sections 47 may be removed from the sections 45, by removing by lifting up at the inner end portions of the rails II I until the lugs 99 clear the walls of the openings I88. The sections 4! are removed both when moving the head section 4I into or out of a car and when the end portions 21 of the car bodies 25 are filled with shipments.

The friction reducing means 48 may be conventional casters carried by the several uprights described. There is, preferably, no means 48 for the uprights II8.

In Figure 10 for example, the movable conveyor means 49 is shown as a roller comprising an elongated cylinder II5, mounted upon an elongated spindle I I8 and supported therefrom by friction reducing means, as ball bearings III in race housings II8. I prefer to provide spindles which are polygonal in transverse cross section. The end portions of the spindles H6 extend through suitable openings in the several side rails and are retained by any suitable means as conventional springy metal bights H9 with axially aligned legs adapted to spring into suitable axially aligned sockets in the terminal portions of the spindles, outwardly of the several side rails.

In the use of the new conveyor F, associated with three box cars, as in Figs. Hand 12, and with the necessary bridge means E in place, the head section M, carrying the fully retracted sections 42 to 46, is wheeled into the compartment 29 of the outermost box car and disposed between the doorways 26. Suitable sections, as the sections 35 to 4B are then positioned between the section of the shuttle conveyor A and the wing portion M of the head section 4| to provide an unbroken way or conveyor surface to the central portion 18 of the head section 4 I. Next, with the terminal sections 4! moved into the compartment 29 of the outermost box car body at the end portions 27 thereof, either or both of the laterals (sections 12 to 45) are unhooked and extended (as the two laterals are shown extended in Fig. 11) and the terminal section or sections 41 coupled to the section or sections so. The shuttle conveyor A is then placed in operation and the articles transported by it are diverted to the delivery mouth section 20 thereof, over the conveyor sections to (as'by gravity) and upon the central portion Ill of the head section i Here they are manually routed to the proper lateral and pass (as by gravity) over its sections 42 to 45 and are deposited upon theterminal section or sections 67, manually removed and stacked in the end portion or portions 21 of the compartment 29. When these portions of the compartment are filled, the terminal section or sections il are removed and the space occupied by them is filled after which, one by one, the sections 42 to are retracted and the spaces occupied by them are filled. Consequently, all but the doorway portion of the compartment 29 is now filled.

Thereupon, upon temporarily suspending operations of the shuttle conveyor A only long enough to remove one or more 01 the sections 38 to d0, roll the head section 4| carrying the retracted sections 32 to "it; into the compartment of the next adjacent (intermediate) boxcar body, extend the sections %2 to 5 into this last-named compartment, couple the sections 4'! and extend the section to into the doorway portion of the outermost box car body, all as shown in Fig. 13, the shuttle conveyor A may be thrown into operation and filling of the intermediate car and the doorway portion of the outermost cars compartment begun. Articles may be manually routed from the central portion '59 of the head section ll over the wing portion 76- and section do to be manually stacked in the doorway portion of the outermost cars compartment until it is full (the section 48 being retracted as required), or the articles may be manually routed to either of the laterals so that the cornpartment of the intermediate car will be gradually filled, or stacking in this doorway portion and in the compartment of the intermediate car body may take place simultaneously as is now apparent. This affords an efiicient method of partly loading two cars at the same time-a very desirable feature of my invention.

It is now obvious that the compartment of the innermost car body andthe doorway portion of the compartment of the intermediate carbody may be simultaneously loaded and, finally, the

8 doorway portion of the innermost car body compartment.

I have eliminated the use of s0-ca1led lazy tongs systems in extensible and contractable conveyors, since the many parts of such systems are apt to get out of order quickly and at inopportune times, become broken and, generally, there is no provision made for the firm support of the lazy-tongs structure when extended or partly extended.

In the provision of the head section 4|, there is provided a meansto shunt or route articles to both laterals and to the section 46 simultaneously whereby not only may a car compartment be loaded at both ends at the same time but the doorway portion of another car compartment may be loaded at the same time.

Various changes may be made to the form of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a conveyor, a lateral extensible and contractable conveyor portion comprising a plurality or wheeled lateral conveyor sections, with each lateral conveyor section having like sized ground wheels with the ground wheels of each conveyor section being spaced apart a distance less than the spacing apart of the wheels of the next adjacent conveyor section nearer the inner end of said conveyor portion and each conveyor section being of less width and height than the next adjacent lateral conveyor section nearer the inner end of said conveyor portion.

In a conveyor, a lateral extensible and contractable conveyor portion comprising a plurality of wheeled lateral conveyor sections having rigid frames, with each lateral conveyor section having like sized ground wheels with the ground wheels or each conveyor section being spaced apart a distance less than the spacing apart of the wheels of the next adjacent conveyor section nearer the inner end of said conveyor portion and each conveyor section being of less width and height than the next adjacent lateral conveyor section nearer the inner end of said conveyor portion and provided with means to detachably connect it with the next adjacent lateral conveyor section.

3. In a conveyor, a lateral extensible and contractable conveyor portion comprising a plurality of stepped and wheeled telescopic conveyor sections, each provided with guide and holding means for the next adjacent section comprising elongated side rails each having a substantially horizontal and substantially vertical portion, and elongated auxiliary angle irons rigidly secured to and depending from the intermediate part of said horizontal portion of its associated side rail, with one auxiliary rail of one conveyor section slidable along an auxiliary rail of the next adjacent conveyor section.

4. In a conveyor, a lateral extensible and contractable conveyor portion comprising a plurality of stepped and wheeled telescopic conveyor sections, each provided with guide and holding means for the next adjacent section comprising elongated side rails each having a substantially horizontal and substantially vertical portion, and elongated auxiliary angle irons rigidly secured to and depending from the intermediate part of said horizontal portion of its associated side rail, with one auxiliary rail of one conveyor section slidable along an auxiliary rail of the next adjacent conveyor section, and conveyor rollers rotatably carried by the side rails of each conveyor section, the said vertical portions on one like side of each conveyor section being in substantially the same vertical plane and the said vertical portions on the other like side of each con- 5 veyor section being in a substantially like plane.

ALLEN D. BRENT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent:

Number 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Mapes May 3, 1949 Parker Aug. 11, 1925 Jaenicke Oct. 20, 1925 Twomley Nov. 21, 1933 Phillips May 22, 1934 Chappelle Apr. 30, 1940 

